The example of a pregnant woman in her home in front of her young children being interrogated and arrested by police graphically illustrates how Victorians are now living under a totalitarian dictatorship where once cherished liberties and freedoms have been lost. 

For posting on Facebook a plan to organise a public demonstration against the government’s draconian, inflexible and unwarranted measures to supposedly limit the spread of the virus, including lockdowns, curfews and wearing masks, the woman felt the full force of the law. 

Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly underpin Western liberal societies as does a commitment to the separation of powers, a Westminster form of parliamentary government and an adherence to common law...